Katie Carrol joins the Social Conversation in Colorado Springs

Katie Carrol has had an eclectic career encompassing acting, broadcasting, public relations and marketing, interior design and even defense contracting.

After graduating from Virginia Tech, Carrol became a junior systems analyst where she worked aboard the Trident Submarine (SSBN 727, Ohio Class).  During her tenure on the ship, then Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger came out to visit Carrol and the 500-member crew in Bremerton, Washington.

But, the perceived glamour of a career in public relations called.  Carrol changed professions and began her PR career representing major clients such as Ralston Purina, the Country of Canada, Sony, Hasbro, AM General and Anheuser Busch.  She launched the fragrance Tiffany for Tiffany and Co., the soft drink Slice for Pepsi Co., and drove the very first Hummer (HMMWV) off the assembly line in 1983 with the Secretary of the Army.  Two programs she wrote also won top national (The Silver Anvil) and regional public relations awards.

She was lured away from the world of public relations in New York City when the lights of Broadway beckoned.  Carrol left PR to begin what became a successful career as a classically-trained theatre and television actress.  During a 12-year span, she appeared in leading roles in plays, films, television programs and commercials.  Carrol has performed both on and off Broadway and even in Moscow, Russia.  She is currently a member of the Broadway Theatre Company, Circle East.

Also, while living in New York City, Carrol ran her own high-end interior design business.

The events of 9-11 inspired Carrol to take a different tact as she became more interested in making a contribution to society.  This ultimately led to her becoming an award-winning news anchor and medical/science reporter at a CBS Television affiliate in Washington State.

While in the Tri-Cities, she taught acting, speech and voice at Columbia Basin College. She was also an adjudicator at regional theatre competitions and, to this day, is a judge for the Society of Professional Journalists.

Carrol is currently the director of media relations and communications for the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado.  She is the executive producer and host of the weekly radio program INSIGHTS, as well as the executive producer and host of a monthly television program, THE BBB EYE.  She is responsible for the Bureau’s advertising, marketing, media placement, public relations, Web site and overall communications efforts.

Carrol sits on the board of several community organizations including the Greenberg Center for Learning and Tolerance, the Southern Colorado AIDS Project and the Colorado Springs Press Association.  She is the past president of the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and is a member of the Pikes Peak Advertising Federation.  She is also a member of the Colorado Springs Executive Association and ARTEMIS.

Click here to get tickets to the Colorado Springs event